The History of Anatomical Body Donation in (West) Berlin

America's medical schools have long used human cadavers to teach anatomy, but acquiring adequate numbers of bodies for dissection has always been a challenge. Physicians and medical students of the 18th and 19th centuries often resorted to robbing graves, and this history has been extensively examined. Less studied, however, is the history of body acquisition in the 20th century, and this article evaluates the factors that coalesced to transition American society from body theft to body donation. First, it describes the legislation that released the unclaimed bodies of those dying in public institutions to medical schools for dissection, thereby effectively ending grave robbery. Then it discusses midcentury journalistic exposés of excesses in the funeral industry-works that were instrumental in bringing alternatives, including the previously unpopular option of body donation, to public consciousness. Finally, it examines the rise of body transplantation, the Uniform Anatomical Gifts Act of 1968, and the subsequent state of willed-body programs at the turn of the 21st century. Body-donation programs have gradually stabilized since and currently provide most of the bodies used for dissection in American medical schools. Relying as they do on public trust, however, these programs remain potentially precarious and threatened by public scandals. Whether American medical schools will receive enough bodies to properly educate students in the future remains to be seen.

The Center for Anatomy and Physiology Education has hosted interactive human cadaver laboratory tours for local high schools (ages 14-18) and undergraduate university students since 2014 to expose students to healthcare careers. Students receive information on the history of body donation and healthcare careers and observe human anatomy on prosections and with isolated organs. The goal of this study was to evaluate students' perceptions of the anatomy laboratory tours and their impact on students' interests in healthcare careers. Students completed pre- and post-tour questionnaires. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis and linguistic inquiry. Of the 261 students who completed pre-tour questionnaires, 204 (78%) completed the post-tour questionnaire. Before the tour, students anticipated learning about human anatomy and expected to only see but not touch a cadaver. Most students expressed excitement and/or nervousness. A few students viewed the laboratory tour as an opportunity to test if they could see themselves in a healthcare career. After the tour, most students indicated that the tour either met or exceeded their expectations. Students found the laboratory tour to be educational and interesting and were surprised by the opportunity to interact with the donor. Numerous students expressed an increased interest in healthcare careers after the tour. Overall, students perceived the tour as an engaging experience that improved their anatomical knowledge and reinforced/increased their interest in healthcare careers. Academic institutions can positively impact local students by implementing an anatomy tour, sharing access to their in-house human cadaver laboratory, and recruiting instructors to share their anatomy expertise.

An examination of the status, contexts of anatomical body donation, and perspectives in China

IntroductionInformed consent is critical for maintaining the ethical standards associated with the utilization of human donor bodies by tertiary education institutions. Body donation programs undertake the responsibility for procuring human donor bodies for didactic and research purposes. However, its processes require scrutiny regarding best practice guidelines and the South African National Health Act (SA-NHA) (2013). Moreover, acknowledging and addressing the current perceptions of human body donation are indispensable in bridging the gap between academia and society. This study aimed to compare informed consent documentation and procedures across South African tertiary education institutions and their affiliated human body donation programs (HBDP) in accordance with international guidelines. The findings were used to create a human body donation form template aligned to current international best practices for consideration by the South African HBDP. MethodologyA review of information and consent forms collected from South Africa’s eight HBDP was conducted. The analyses consisted of a broad evaluation of information provided, ranging from the terms-of-use for human donor bodies to the commitments made by HBDP to body-donors. The results were considered in conjunction with the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists and other recent publications on informed consent in HBDP. ResultsOnly two of the eight HBDP provided information and consent forms in more than one language. Most allowed donors to select how their bodies will be utilized – education, training and/or research. Some (6/8) made provisions for the next-of-kin to receive the cremains. Only one tertiary educational institution mentioned the occurrence of a memorial service in its documentation. An HBDF template was created aligned to current international best practices for presentation and possible adaption by SA HBDP. Discussion & conclusionsHuman body donation forms (HBDF) requires thorough examination for the promotion and sustainability of HBDP. Effective communication by employing standardized non-technical terminology conveyed in language that is understandable and native to potential donors facilitates the deliverance of informed consent. Inconsistencies regarding the use and management of bodies catalyze the weakening perception of human body donation. Thus, this process of securing informed consent for body donation should be conducted in conjunction with public awareness campaigns and underpinned by the necessary policy and legislative reform.

Recommendations of the working group of the Anatomische Gesellschaft on reduction of formaldehyde exposure in anatomical curricula and institutes

Historical trends and current experiences of anatomical body donation in two Zimbabwean medical schools

Immunohistochemistry is a powerful tool for studying neuronal tissue from humans at the molecular level. Obtaining fresh neuronal tissue from human organ donors is difficult and sometimes impossible. In anatomical body donations, neuronal tissue is dedicated to research purposes and because of its easier availability, it may be an alternative source for research. In this study, we harvested spinal cord from a single organ donor 2 h (h) postmortem and spinal cord from body donors 24, 48, and 72 h postmortem and tested how long after death, valid multi-color immunofluorescence or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immunohistochemistry is possible. We used general and specific neuronal markers and glial markers for immunolabeling experiments. Here we showed that it is possible to visualize molecularly different neuronal elements with high precision in the body donor spinal cord 24 h postmortem and the quality of the image data was comparable to those from the fresh organ donor spinal cord. High-contrast multicolor images of the 24-h spinal cords allowed accurate automated quantification of different neuronal elements in the same sample. Although there was antibody-specific signal reduction over postmortem intervals, the signal quality for most antibodies was acceptable at 48 h but no longer at 72 h postmortem. In conclusion, our study has defined a postmortem time window of more than 24 h during which valid immunohistochemical information can be obtained from the body donor spinal cord. Due to the easier availability, neuronal tissue from body donors is an alternative source for basic and clinical research.

Many US body donation programs impose restrictions on donations based on body size. To examine the body habitus criteria related to body weight, height, proportion, and other size factors in United States body donation programs (USBDP), 127 USBDP publicly available websites listed by the University of Florida were reviewed. Since this study focuses on publicly available website information, it may not capture the characteristics of all programs. Eleven percent of the USBDP websites with public-facing criteria exclusively listed numeric restrictions, while 24.4% included both descriptive and quantitative (numeric) terminology. The majority of websites with public-facing criteria (90.6%) imposed a weight-related restriction, with 55.1% providing descriptive (i.e., non-numeric) terms. The most common body mass index (BMI) cutoff (30 kg/m2) could disqualify some U.S. adults from donating, as the average BMI in the United States for adult females is 29.8 and for adult males is 29.4. Fourteen programs offered explanations of their descriptive or numeric weight/BMI restrictions. As language evolves to better describe and reflect body habitus, keeping up to date with best practice and community preferences may help when designing donor criteria. Public-facing information about body habitus criteria for donation may limit the representativeness of body habitus used in anatomical education and research. The implications of this on anatomical education and weight bias in students require more research.

Dead human bodies not only teach students the structure and function of the human form but also provide a rich environment for other learning experiences, including ethical and professional development. Ethical questions especially arise from the procurement and use of bodies in anatomy. This chapter will describe the role that anatomical donation programs play in educating individuals about medical ethics. In contrast to historical anatomical body procurement, which was often coercive and discriminatory, modern anatomical gift programs focus on individual consent in each donor. Ongoing ethical challenges in body procurement include the role of not-for-profit and for-profit body donation programs, the potential monetary value of donated tissue, advertising for body donation programs, and detailed versus broad informed consent in donation. It is argued that transparent and ethical anatomical body procurement is one of the core values of a body donation program and a hallmark of all students’ ethical and professional training.

Solving a problem by dissolving a tradition. Munich anatomy’s body supply since the Second World War

Front and back cover caption, volume 21 issue 5Front coverChildren in the favela (squatter community) of 'Caxambu', in the northern zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although favelas are often depicted as dangerous and as the housing option of last resort, they are also characterized by dense and multi‐stranded social ties between residents, long histories of occupation and settlement, and multi‐generational families. Caxambu (a pseudonym) was originally settled at the beginning of the 20th century, and residents often describe the neighbourhood as a 'big family'. As the photo makes clear, the alleys, street corners and other public spaces in the favela often serve as giant playgrounds for local children.Back coverTHE HUMAN BODYThe photo on the back cover shows one of the exhibits from Gunther von Hagens' anatomical exhibition Body Worlds, discussed by Uli Linke in this issue. The exhibits in this show are fashioned from human corpses. The male figure shown here, the body of a man holding and gazing at his own skin, attempts to convey something about the human skin.The anatomical museum markets corpses, artfully transformed to appeal to the viewer. Body Worlds has toured internationally, and attracted millions of visitors. Dead bodies are transformed into sensually appealing 'works of art', playing to fantasies of the alluring body common to the dream worlds promoted by multinational media and entertainment industries.In the exhibition anatomy and pedagogy, economy and medical science, pathology and human rights are closely intertwined. But where do the bodies come from? The corpses, contrary to the exhibitor's claims, are not supplied by German donors ‐ they are procured from Eastern Europe, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and China, from places where human rights and bioethical standards are not enforced.Von Hagens insists that bodies displayed are from donors, and his exhibition website (www.bodyworlds.com) welcomes donations to its body donation programme. In his body factory in Dalian, China, thousands of corpses, including the remains of executed prisoners, are flayed and prepared for later use. This trade in bodies, a multi‐million‐dollar enterprise, is highly problematic. For the trumpeted 'art of anatomy', with its beautified corpses and eroticized installations, also has a violent dimension, with human victims whose bodies are bought and sold for profit.In November 2002, Gunther von Hagens risked prosecution by holding the first public dissection of a (donated) body in the UK since the 1830s, in London's Atlantis Gallery. The issues surrounding procurement, preparation, dissection and display of human remains are central to anthropology, and in this article Uli Linke discusses in particular the various ways in which this exhbition was interpreted in Germany.

Background Neuroanatomy is one of the most complex areas of anatomy to teach to medical students. Traditional study methods such as atlases and textbooks are mandatory but require significant effort to conceptualize the three-dimensional (3D) aspects of the neuroanatomical regions of interest. Objectives To test the feasibility of human anatomy teaching medical students in a virtual reality (VR) immersive environment using photorealistic three-dimensional models (PR3DM)of human anatomy, in a limited anatomical body donation program. Methods We used surface scanning technology (photogrammetry) to create PR3DM of brain dissections. The 3Dmodels were uploaded to VRheadsets and used in immersive environment classes to teach second-year medical students. Twenty-eight medical students (mean age 20.11, SD 1.42), among which 19 females (n=28/67.9%)and nine males (n=28/32.1%), participated in the study. The students hadeither none or minimal experience with the use of VR devices. The duration of the study was three months.After completing the curriculum, a survey was done to examine the results. Results The average rating of the students for their overall experience with the method is 4.57/5 (SD=0.63). The "Possibility to study models from many points of view" and "Good Visualization of the models" were the most agreed upon advantages, with 24 students (n=28, 85.7%), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) [0.6643, 0.9532]. The limited availability of the VR headsets was the major disadvantage as perceived by the students, with 11 students (n=28, 39.3%), 95% CI [0.2213, 0.5927] having voted for the option. The majority of the students (25) (n=28, 89.2%, SD=0.31) agreed with the statement that the use of VR facilitated their neuroanatomy education. Conclusion This study shows the future potential of this model of training in limited cadaver dissection options to provide students with modern technological methods of training.Our first results indicate a prominent level of student satisfaction from VR training with minimum negative reactions to the nature of headsets. The proof of concept for the application of photorealistic models in VR neuroanatomy training combined with the initial results of appreciation among the students predisposes the application of the method on a larger scale, adding a nuance to the traditional anatomy training methods. The low number of headsets used in the study limits the generalization of the results but offers possibilities for future perspectives of research.

Metal artifacts caused by hip arthroplasty stems limit the diagnostic value of computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of periprosthetic fractures or implant loosening. The aim of this ex vivo study was to evaluate the influence of different scan parameters and metal artifact algorithms on image quality in the presence of hip stems. Nine femoral stems, 6 uncemented and 3 cemented, that had been implanted in subjects during their lifetimes were exarticulated and investigated after death and anatomical body donation. Twelve CT protocols consisting of single-energy (SE) and single-source consecutive dual-energy (DE) scans with and without an iterative metal artifact reduction algorithm (iMAR; Siemens Healthineers) and/or monoenergetic reconstructions were compared. Streak and blooming artifacts as well as subjective image quality were evaluated for each protocol. Metal artifact reduction with iMAR significantly reduced the streak artifacts in all investigated protocols (p = 0.001 to 0.01). The best subjective image quality was observed for the SE protocol with a tin filter and iMAR. The least streak artifacts were observed for monoenergetic reconstructions of 110, 160, and 190 keV with iMAR (standard deviation of the Hounsfield units: 151.1, 143.7, 144.4) as well as the SE protocol with a tin filter and iMAR (163.5). The smallest virtual growth was seen for the SE with a tin filter and without iMAR (4.40 mm) and the monoenergetic reconstruction of 190 keV without iMAR (4.67 mm). This study strongly suggests that metal artifact reduction algorithms (e.g., iMAR) should be used in clinical practice for imaging of the bone-implant interface of prostheses with either an uncemented or cemented femoral stem. Among the iMAR protocols, the SE protocol with 140 kV and a tin filter produced the best subjective image quality. Furthermore, this protocol and DE monoenergetic reconstructions of 160 and 190 keV with iMAR achieved the lowest levels of streak and blooming artifacts. Diagnostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Anatomical body donation plays a critical role in medical education and scientific discovery. Yet, most programs in the United States continue to exclude individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or viral hepatitis, despite modern biosafety protocols and decades of scientific progress. These outdated restrictions are rooted in historical stigma rather than current risk, and they unjustly deny people living with these conditions the opportunity to make a final, meaningful contribution to science. In this Viewpoint, we call for the urgent revision of donor eligibility policies to reflect contemporary understanding of infectious disease transmission and universal precautions. Drawing on examples from end-of-life HIV research and the broader transplant landscape, we argue that inclusion is both scientifically sound and ethically imperative. Every person deserves the dignity of being valued in death as in life, and no body should be excluded based on fear, misinformation, or outdated policy.

TRPC6 is altered in COVID-19 pneumonia